Rise of the Believer
by Starren Moonstone
Summary: A new evil has arisen and the guardians must once again protect the children of the world. But this time, they have to call upon a child who lost his belief to help them fight against this evil. Can they unlock his belief in childhood once again, or will the world fall once again into darkness? Elements of the book series are apart of this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I finally got my act together and started writing this fanfiction. I have a decent outline for what I want to do with this story and so I will post up the first chapter. (does happy dance) Just a warning... ok, two warnings. The first is that I'm following the timeline of the movie while taking a few things from the books and then putting in my own flair. The second is that I won't be updating regularly for this, because of other things (stares at Hetalia stuff).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Rise of the __Guardians_ or the series _The Guardians of Childhood. _They belong to other people, I just write about them because they are awesome. There will be OCs and they belong to me. **

**Remember, you are a guardian too; so always believe.**

* * *

Jack saw the Northern Lights dance about in the sky. Meaning that North was calling them all to his workshop. 'What could have happened?' Jack wondered as he let the wind take him up into the sky, heading towards the North Pole. The Northern Lights were only used if something big came up or for an emergency.

It had been a year since Pitch was defeated by Jack and the other guardians. Surely, he couldn't be back so soon? There would have been signs. There would have been something.

Ok, there was one thing that was in the back of Jack's mind as he flew through the skies. It was only a nameless fear, a nightmare forgotten upon awakening. It didn't feel like something Pitch would do though. He made sure the people would remember the nightmare. This was something different. Though as to what it was, Jack had no clue.

He landed at the front door to the workshop and knocked. North had made it clear that Jack was to knock before entering that place due to his past about trying to sneak in. The doors opened and Phil looked down at Jack.

"Hi, Phil. Just visiting," Jack said, smiling.

Phil looked down at Jack with suspicion, but did let him anyway.

Jack tipped an invisible hat and went inside. The workshop never ceased to amaze Jack. It was always so full of life, no matter what time of year it was.

"Jack! Up here!" North said waving down at Jack.

'Well, he seems to be in a good mood,' Jack mused as he ran through the hallways up to where North and the others were. Bunny wasn't there yet, but that was to be expected since he was getting ready for Easter once again. Hopefully this time things would go as planned and the kids would get their eggs this year. There was someone there that Jack didn't recognize. He was pale… no, not pale. His skin was luminescent and it glowed softly.

"Glad you could come," North said, "This is Nightlight. He is also a guardian, but he was with Manny for all this time. Manny thought it was best to have him join us."

Nightlight smiled and extended a hand, in which Jack took.

"What are you guardian of?"

Nightlight did some weird stuff with his hands, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, right, I should say that he can't talk. He uses sign language. It's not that hard to learn. Anyway, he is the guardian of courage."

Nightlight put his pointer finger to the corner of his eye, then flung it outwards, closing his eyes in the process.

Something hit Jack in the back of the head, making him fall forward on the ground. He looked up again, to see Bunny looking down at him.

"Have a good trip, mate?"

Jack scowled at Bunny, which made North laugh. Nightlight looked amused, but helped Jack up. He beckoned to Jack to follow him. Together they went up to the roof of the workshop, a place that Jack loved going to when he stayed at the place. Nightlight sat Jack down the proceeded to take out a stack of papers and handed them to Jack.

There were pictures on them. The first one was just a picture of Nightlight, but looking a bit younger and a bit different. He looked more human; his hair was a light blond color and his skin was a dark tan. The next one had a girl and a wizard like person standing on either side of Nightlight.

Jack looked up. "Did you draw these?" he asked. Nightlight nodded and motioned to continue.

Jack went to the next picture. The girl was missing and Nightlight and the wizard looked sad. Behind them, there is a dark shadow.

"Is that Pitch?"

Nightlight shook his head and put a finger up to Jack's lips. Jack was going to ask what that was about, but thought better of it and flipped to the next picture. The girl was lying on the ground and the shadow was looming over her. Jack could swear it was Pitch, but this shadow looked more menacing than Pitch, if that were possible.

In the next picture, the wizard, Sandy, and North were fighting Pitch. This Jack knows is Pitch due to the fact that it is Pitch's general shape and hair. Behind Pitch was a cave and he could see Nightlight going into that cave.

Jack flipped to the next page, in which Nightlight was all alone in what looked like a dark cavern. All he had was a staff. There were a pair of eyes watching Nightlight. They weren't Pitch's, that was for sure. Pitch had silver-golden yellow eyes. The pair drawn in the picture were a dark red color.

In the next picture, Nightlight found the girl. She looked dead in the picture. But Nightlight was different in this picture. In the others, his hair was blond. But in this picture, it was white and his skin looked like it was radiating light. In the background, there was the moon in a crescent form. It too looked like it was glowing along with Nightlight.

In the next picture, the girl and Nightlight were standing up, smiling and dancing. Pitch was to the side, looking put off and sulking. The menacing shadow was no where to be seen. The wizard, North, Sandy, and a new man with the crescent moon as a broach were with the girl and Nightlight.

The last picture had Nightlight looking determined, holding his staff, which looked more like a weapon, next to the man with the moon broach.

Jack looked at Nightlight, who was looking at Jack eagerly. "So… this was how you became a guardian?" Jack asked.

Nightlight nodded enthusiastically. He pointed to Sandy and made a few and gestures very quickly. One of them looked like a talking motion, so Jack could guess that Sandy told Nightlight to share his story.

"You're a very good artist," Jack said, not sure of what else to say.

Nightlight put his hand to his mouth then moved it outwards to Jack, mouthing the word, "Thank you."

"So what happened to your voice? Did you lose it or did you just never have it?"

Nightlight shook his head and pointed once again at Sandy then to himself.

Jack had been told that Sandy could talk, but he chose not to in order not to wake the children who were sleeping. And then he had forgotten how to use his voice. He was completely fine with it. "So, you chose not to like Sandy?"

Nightlight nodded. He then took out a pad of paper and a pencil and handed them to Jack as if to say, "Now it's your turn."

"Alright, but just to warn you I'm awful at drawing compared to you."

88888

"It seems like your little plan worked, Sandy," North commented. Jack and Nightlight had been talking to each other for a while now (they moved inside the workshop because North told them too).

Sandy nodded, and sipped on his eggnog. Over the past year... no, it was longer than that, but especially over the past year, Sandy felt like he was playing Jack's parent. He was always keeping an eye on the young guardian and there were times in which Jack came to Sandy for various reasons a child would to a parent. Sandy still had in mind the last time Jack stopped by.

_Sandy was reading on of his many books when Jack showed up, once again. He looked sad, which bothered Sandy. The dream guardian gave Jack a quizzical look._

_"Can we talk?" Jack asked, a bit awkwardly._

_Sandy nodded and led Jack to the bedroom in which Sandy set up for the young guardian. He knew of Jack's wandering nature, as did the other guardians. So Sandy and North set up rooms for Jack whenever the guardian wanted a place to stay that wasn't by himself. _

_Sandy sat down by Jack's favorite spot in the room, on the window ledge. Jack slowly walked over there and sat down next to Sandy. They looked out on the water, where the moon's reflection could be seen. It was a beautiful sight; so peaceful and calm._

_"Lately, Sandy, I've been feeling lonely, even though I know I shouldn't. I have you guys and then there's Jamie, but some days... I don't know."_

_Sandy put a hand on Jack's shoulder. and nodded understandingly. He knew how Jack was feeling. Friends were great, but sometimes a friend in your age group was needed. Jack was much older than Jamie, but much younger than the other guardians. Mostly by maturity. _

_"Is this normal?" Jack asked._

_The Sandman wasn't sure what to respond to that. Not everyone went through what Jack was going through, but at the same time... Jack was also stuck in the body of a teenager. All of those emotions that teenagers went through was going through Jack. Sandy let up a few symbols giving the general meaning of: _Don't worry yourself over it.

And then Sandy told the Man in the Moon about it and the Man in the Moon delivered. But there was something that bothered Sandy that Manny told him. There was trouble brewing. How long it was going to brew, no one knew.

But, for the time being, all was calm. Just as if there was a storm coming.

* * *

**Foreshadowing? Maybe... (evil English major grin)**

**As a note, Nightlight's communication is a mixture between American sign language and charades. **

**Please comment, it helps with my writing. I have no idea when I'll post up the next chapter, but I will promise that you'll get to meet my OC next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own _Rise of the Guardians_ or the series _The Guardians of Childhood_. They belong to other people, I just write about them because they are awesome. Jewel is an OC and she belongs to me. **

**Remember, you are a guardian too; so always believe.**

* * *

Nightlight flew through the morning sky. He felt alive, and it was a wonderful feeling. He always felt that way when he flew.

He looked behind him to see Jack, looking a bit tired. Obviously not a morning person. _Cheer up_, Nightlight signed to him.

"Just give me a few minutes, ok?"

Nightlight shrugged. _Clouds are full of water._

Jack looked at a cloud, then flew up into it. He had disappeared for a little bit. When he came out, he was soaking wet.

"You were right," Jack said. He sounded a bit chipper. "So, where are we going again?"

_I want to introduce you to someone. Manny told me about her and you might like to meet her._

"Is she a guardian as well?"

Nightlight gave the so-so symbol. While, yes, this girl was a guardian, she wasn't like the rest of them. She protected all people, not just children. Her biggest concern was always for the teenagers.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

_You'll see._

They landed in a forest next to a college campus. Nightlight looked at the campus; not many people were out and about, just a handful of students walking tiredly holding Styrofoam cups. He turned back to Jack. _Before we go, you should put your shoes on._

"Why?"

Nightlight thought for a moment as to how to explain the reason to Jack. _It's a long story and I don't even understand the reason myself. She can explain it better than I can._

Jack shrugged and put on the shoes. They looked odd, considering the rest of Jack's usual garb. A blue sweatshirt decorated by frost, capri-styled brown pants that looked like they came from a different time (which they did), and then the shoes… They were a blue color that matched his sweatshirt, but they were pointed like an elf's with a bell on the end. Nightlight did not say anything, but motioned Jack to follow him onto the campus.

The grounds were pretty enough. The buildings were set up so they surrounded the grassy area, making it look more like an extended courtyard. Purple flowers were popping up in various clusters.

There was a grandstand on the grounds. It was occupied by one person. A girl with a braid that was held together by what looked like a star pin. Nightlight knew better; it was a real star. As to what the name of it was, he had no clue.

The girl looked up as the two guys joined her. She wasn't wearing her usual outfit; that day, she looked like a student. She wore a purple blouse with a star pattern in the bottom right corner, a jean skirt, and matching sandals that had a back to them. She didn't have her sword with her either.

_Jack, this is Jewel._ Nightlight signed. _Jewel, this is Jack._

"Figured. I can tell from the frost design." Jewel stood up and shook Jack's hand. "Hi, Jack. It's nice to officially meet you."

"Really?"

Jewel nodded. "I've heard the story of how you became a guardian. Nice way to make an entrance, kicking Pitch's a… butt."

"But who are you?"

"I'm a guardian too, though I walk a different path that you guys."

"Which is why you are here with adults."

Jewel looked out on the campus. Nightlight followed her gaze to a student with a handful of books and a Styrofoam cup running to a building. He falls forward and everything from his hands goes falling to the ground and a brown liquid spills onto the pavement. "Honestly, that's debatable. Manny knew that, which is why I'm here."

"So… what do you do?" Jack asked.

"My thing is finding lost items… and people. I help people find bits about themselves which were lost. I also help them get through times in which they might lose themselves."

Jack smiles. "So you work out in the field too."

"Please, I can't stand not to." Jewel said, a smile coming to her face.

_Are you working with someone now? _Nightlight asked.

"Was. I think she'll be alright now. The girl is an English major and her writing was becoming less of her own and being more like everyone else's. It took some time, but I got her to realize she was losing a bit part of herself in the process. Took some time, but she understood in the end."

Jack walked around Jewel. "What?" Jewel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just wondering how you fight."

"Want to see?" Jewel asked, grinning a bit.

As much as Nightlight loved seeing Jewel fight, he didn't like the look on his face. _Jewel, please don't._

"Relax, Nightlight. I won't kick his butt too hard."

"Hey, I'm a good fighter too." Jack said.

"You don't have as much experience as I do."

"We'll see."

'Friendly fight… sure,' Nightlight thought as he followed his fellow guardians into the woods.

88888

Jack watched Jewel as she took out a sword from a tree. "I don't normally keep it there, but I had to hide it somewhere."

"Why is that?" Jack asked, as he took off his ridiculous shoes.

Jewel looked at Jack's shoes. "Remind me later, and we can get you better shoes. Part of my power is that I, and others like us, am visible to anyone. Unless I have this on." Jewel pulled out a necklace that had a beautiful star on in. "This suppresses that power so that I am hidden like the rest of you."

"So that's why I had to wear the shoes."

"Yeah. I mean, it is a bit chilly out for no shoes yet. It would have looked a bit weird."

"How…"

"It's just a part of my power. I bring to light the things that are hidden. That includes childhood beliefs, even if people don't realize that is what it is."

"I wonder how people react to Bunny."

Jewel actually grinned. "Not in the way you think. Beat me, and I'll tell you."

Jack aimed his staff at Jewel. "Be prepared then."

"Just warning you kid. I was a soldier before I became a guardian."

Jack shrugged it off.

"Your funeral then."

They charged at each other, weapons aimed at each other. Jack was ready to bury this girl in snow, but Jewel could see exactly what he was going to do. Jack didn't have a good poker face and it showed too easily. Jack leapt up into the air; Jewel dived under him and hit him in a sensitive part in his back. Not many people knew about this, but there is a place in which people become limp if hit hard enough, which was no problem for Jewel. Jack fell to the ground, without any knowledge of how he got there.

Nightlight looked at Jewel with disbelief.

"Don't give me that, Nightlight. I'll fix him in a sec." Jewel knelt down at Jack. "This is what you get for coming at me with a jump attack. It's a very dumb move. Grant it, it does look flashy, but flashy doesn't work with me."

Jewel then pushed the point again and Jack sat up. "How?"

"As I said, I was a soldier. I learned how to bring people down. Trust me when I say you did not want to cross me on the battle field then."

"What about now?"

"You still don't want to cross me," Jewel gave Jack a dangerous look in which he backed off. "But I'm not as harsh as I was then. That's why I stayed out of your fight with Pitch."

"You were on his side?"

"I'm not saying that. What I am saying is that I don't have the same quarrel with him like you guys do. My fights are with more dangerous people."

"Like…"

Jewel shook her head. "Best not to say names, Jack. They have power behind them. One person in particular likes using names for power. No doubt you will meet them in due time. And when you do, I pray fate has mercy on your soul."

"They're that dangerous?"

"Let's just say, Pitch is nothing compared with what I face with some days."

Jack gulped. He could feel something grow inside him. It wasn't fear, it was more than that. Pitch was bad enough to battle against, but the thought of something more powerful than him…

"Hey, calm down, will you?" Jewel said, "Just because there are more dangerous people out there doesn't mean you need to freak out about it. Relax. Right now, they aren't doing anything. And even if they were, you aren't going to battle them alone. At the very least, you'll have me… unless it's Pitch."

"Why won't you fight Pitch?"

"Because… I believe in him. I believe he can be good."

"What? That is crazy."

Jewel just shrugged. "That is just my opinion and I haven't been proven wrong yet. Yes, I know what he did last time he caused havoc…" Jewel sighed. "I know you won't agree with me. Please, trust me. I don't sympathise with what he did. I just… know he is capable of good."

"What good can fear do?"

"Much, actually."

Jewel looked down at the hilt of her sword, where there was a blemish in the butiful handy work. A black scar upon a field of blue.

_Let's drop this, ok?_ Nightlight signed. _Let's go do something else._

"Alright, what did you have in mind?"

_A snowball fight, with the other guardians._

That perked Jack up. "It's been a while since I've seen them."

_We can bring Lucky with us, so it will be even teams of four._

"Sure even. I think Jack could take us all out easily." Jewel smirked at Jack.

"I can play fair sometimes."

_Well?_ Nightlight had his fingers crossed in anticipation.

"Why not? Let's go."

**(A Few Months Later)**

Tooth flew through the halls of memories, making sure all the containers were in place. That and looking for the memories of a specific girl. Cherry Selvina. This was a request from Jewel. Once in a while, the star guardian had these requests about getting memories. Tooth never knew why, and was always too busy to ask.

She found the memories and flew back to the lake where the mural was at. Jewel was standing at the bank of the lake, looking up at the mural. Her wings were in a resting position, making them look more like a cloak than a pair of angel wings. Jewel turned around when Tooth walked up next to her.

"You got it."

Tooth nodded. "I have wondered this for a long time, but why do you need these memories?"

"I think it would be easier for me to show you. Can you come?"

Tooth nodded, but had an eyebrow raised. They took to the skies. Jewel led the way to an apartment in a big city.

"Won't we be seen?" Tooth asked. She knew about Jewel's ability to make them be seen to the normal eye.

"I have a charm on that mutes that effect. Don't worry, we won't be seen."

They landed on the patio of an apartment. Jewel motioned toward the window. Tooth looked inside; at the edge of the bed was a girl who was holding a medicine bottle. She was in her middle teens.

"She has been dealing with a ton of… stuff for a while now. Awful things. It came to my attention recently that she couldn't get in touch with her childhood memories properly."

"I didn't know that could happen," Tooth said.

"It's not often. Just once in a while, when the mind is set on a certain way of thinking." Jewel looked at the girl's memories and opened up the case. There was no glowing light that came from the case. "As I thought." She looked around the patio for a moment, then knelt down and from seemingly out of thin air picked up a tattered toy bunny.

"I still am amazed whenever you do that."

Jewel smiled as she mixed the memories in with the bunny. "Even before I became a guardian, I had a knack for finding things, except for when it's me I'm looking for.

Tooth couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Jewel placed the bunny so that it leaned against the door, then rapped at the window. The girl looked up and noticed the toy. Slowly, with a confused look on her face, she got up and walked over. Picking up the toy, the girl took a closer look at the bunny. It glowed for a moment, and the girl smiled as she brought it inside. The memory holder glowed the same color.

Jewel sighed, "Thanks, Tooth. At least she has those memories readily accessible again. It makes me feel better for her looking into the future." She handed Tooth the memory container.

"I'm glad I could help. I didn't realize this is what you do day to day."

"This is more on the depressing side of things to be quite honest. Most of the time, I just try to help people home." Jewel looked up to the sky.

* * *

**Please comment, it helps with my writing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own _Rise of the Guardians_ or the series _The Guardians of Childhood_. They belong to other people, I just write about them because they are awesome. Jewel is an OC and she belongs to me.**

**Remember, you are a guardian too; so always believe.**

* * *

**(A Few Years Later)**

As Sandy's work went through out all the land, he spied a shadow in the darkness, heading for a hospital. Sandy made himself some goggles to get a closer look. It was Grimm; Sandy caught the outline of a scythe. Usually, Sandy would let it slide, he knew Grim was only doing his work, but this time felt different. Fate possibly, it was a feeling Sandy got when pieces of events were falling into place. Letting the sand continue the work, Sandy floated down to where he saw Grimm. In a window, Sandy saw Grimm open a door and come to a teenage boy.

Entering in, Sandy got Grim's attention and threw up a clock and pointed at the boy in question.

"It's about time for him," Grim said in a melancholy tone, "He's been suffering long enough and he won't get better." That was the thing about Grim, he wasn't good or evil. He just took people when it was their time, sometimes at the best time, others at the seemingly worst. "But since you're here anyway, want to give him a good send off?"

Sandy formed a dream and let it dance over the boy's head. It was a happy dream, one where he was in a faraway place and he was completely healthy. Grim smiled gently and after a bit, put a hand on the boy's forehead. The dream faded away the smile was still on the boy's face.

"Tell me," Grim said, "What was it like for you? Going to the other side. I heard it happened with your last fight with Pitch."

Sandy sat on the window sill. He threw up a picture of an orb. "Mysterious as always," Grim said as he left.

Sandy let the picture fade. If he was being completely honest with himself, nothing really changed when he was killed. It was like being in a dream, one that was neither good nor bad. It just was. He wondered for a moment if that was what everyone who died went through.

The dream guardian knew he had to let someone know about the boy's passing. Sandy got up and wandered through the halls of the hospital, hoping to find a doctor or a nurse. He did not have much luck until he passed by one of the offices. There was a doctor inside, along with a middle aged man.

Sandy landed on the ground and hid around the corner. How he was going to get them to go into the room… he had no idea. People who didn't believe couldn't see him.

"Didn't think that I'd find you in a hospital, Sanderson," a voice behind Sandy said, making the guardian jump and let out a tiny yelp.

He turned around and gave an accusing look at the person behind him. He knew this girl. Her name was Jewel and she was also a guardian, but of a different nature. Jewel wore a midnight purple dress decorated in stars. She didn't have any shoes on that day, but usually she had matching sandles. Her hair was braided back, held by a silver star. She wore a belt and attached to it is a deep blue sword. "Wow, this is a first. I thought I couldn't scare you anymore."

Sandy was not amused and showed it.

"I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have done that, but I hadn't seen you in a while. So, why are you here?"

Sandy made a picture of a hospital bed and then skull bones.

"Someone died and you want someone to notice now? They will be making rounds sometime tonight."

Sandy nodded.

"Alright, say no more." Jewel's clothes changed into that of a nurse's uniform. She took off the belt with her sword and handed it over to Sandy. "I'll catch up with you," she said as she took off her charm.

Sandy nodded and went back outside. He moved on, creating the dreams for the world. Jewel caught up with him in a forest in Montana. She was back in her purple dress and her angelic wings were out, being used for flight. Sandy handed back the sword.

"Thank you. They know the boy has moved on. I feel bad for the father though. Single parenting is never any fun."

Sandy threw up a picture of the boy and then a question mark.

"Sort of. He was incredibly lonely and so I kept him company when I was in the area." Jewel looked out at the dream sand. "I take it Grimm came by?"

Sandy nodded. He focused on his craft and Jewel looked on.

"I can't help but feel that this is the one snowflake that starts an avalanche."

Sandy gave Jewel a confused look. What had started that thought process? Sure, he felt like that too, but he hoped that it didn't mean anything.

"I'm hoping this is just me being paranoid."

Sandy took Jewel's hand.

The star guardian smiled. "I guess I'm not the only one then."

**(The Following Night)**

Nightlight was flying through the open skies when he heard the cries of a child. Ok, child may not be the best word for this guy now since he just turned 13, but to be fair he was younger than Nightlight.

The guardian of courage landed on the earth and followed the source of the sound. He ended up in a park where the 13-year-old had his hands covering his face. And not just any 13-year-old, but Jamie. The Jamie that was the last child on earth to believe in the guardians.

Nightlight came up next to Jamie and sat beside him. Jamie didn't move or acknowledge Nightlight's presence. Not too odd, though Nightlight was the only light source in the area except from the moon and the stars.

After some time, a voice called out "Jamie!" and the teen looked up. Even then, he still didn't acknowledge Nightlight.

"Hi, Carlen," Jamie said, not enthusiastically as his friend.

"I wasn't expecting to see you out late at night."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Because of Adrian?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah…"

Nightlight could tell from Jamie's eyes that he had seen death. But why couldn't he see Nightlight? Unless…

"Nightlight!" a voice called out. The guardian looked up to see Jewel at the edge of the forest. He ran over to her. "I'm glad it's you and not Jack. I think I'd have more trouble explaining to him."

_What happened to Jamie?_ Nightlight asked.

"He…" Jewel started to say, then she stopped and looked down at her arm, which much to Nightlight's surprise, was bandaged up. "He's been through a lot recently," she eventually said, "Bottom line is that he can no longer see you guys."

Nightlight nodded. It was sad; a child that had so much belief no longer believing anymore. He couldn't help but think there was something else going on as well, just from the way Jewel approached his question.

"Don't look so down. Manny said that this won't last forever. I think he means to make him a guardian."

Nightlight raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know the details myself. Manny just said to keep an eye on him. That's all."

_Poor Jack… when he finds out…_

"I know. I asked Sandy to keep an eye on him. Out of all of us, Sandy's the only one to really be able to talk to Jack about deep things. It must come from being a dream sprite."

A harsh cold wind ran through the two of them. It was freezing and ice driven. _He found out._

"No kidding."

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Please comment, it helps with my writing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own _Rise of the Guardians_ or the series _The Guardians of Childhood_. They belong to other people, I just write about them because they are awesome. Jewel is an OC and she belongs to me.**

**Remember, you are a guardian too; so always believe.**

* * *

It took North a long time to find Jack. The fact that Jack could hide well made it hard and all the snow whipping around didn't make matters any better. North figured Jack would be where the storm was the worst. Indeed, after battling through what seemed like a wall of wind, snow, and ice, North found a cave that was generally unaffected by the storm. North entered in and found Jack, curled up in a corner with his hood up so that North couldn't see his face.

Jack looked up as North sat next to the young guardian. Neither of them said a word for a long time.

"I knew that this day would come eventually," Jack said, breaking the metaphorical ice between them, "It's just... I didn't think it would happen to Jaime."

"He had a lot of faith. And still does."

Jack gave North a look of confusion.

"He may not believe in you or me any more, but he still has the same faith he placed in us once before."

Jack went to his original position and stared at the ground.

North stood up. "Now, how about you let go of this storm and come back to the workshop for some hot chocolate? Hm?"

Jack didn't move for a few moments. North could hear the wind dying down, which was a good sign. What he didn't expect was Jack running up to him and giving him a hug. North held the winter guardian close.

After some time, North picked up Jack and took him back to the workshop. Phil gave Jack a comfort blanket and North handed him some hot chocolate. Jack just held it and started at the floating marshmellows.

Bunny was the first to arrive back. "So you found him," he stated dully, "How?"

"I know snow. Not as much as Jack, but enough to know when he is the cause of it."

"Right." Bunny guided North to a corner where Jack couldn't hear. "I'm not buying this."

"Buying what?"

"That Jamie just stopped believeing in us. Just like that. Something is going on."

"Whether something is going on or not, that is not the point right now. We have no proof otherwise."

"What about gut feelings? Because I've got one for once."

North crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Yes, he had a feeling too about this. But what could they do? They knew of no being that could do something like this. Pitch, yes, but he hadn't shown his face for a long time. Besides, he liked showing off as well. He wouldn't do sneaky work like this.

"Jack?" Tooth asked, "What are you doing?"

North and Bunny turned in that direction. Jack had put the mug of hot chocolate down and was making frost pictures in the air. His hood was still up, but North could tell he was feeling somewhat better. The current picture was that of an intricate snow flake.

"Frosting," Jack said.

**(Sometime Much Later)**

On the lonely streets of a small town, Jewel walked alone, with only the stars in the sky for company. Just as she liked it. They shone brightly that night, which made her feel better about walking alone.

In the silence, a clarinet could be heard playing. Jewel stopped in front of the house the music was coming from and listened for a while. Piano Man. The sound coming from that instrument was beautiful. "It was sad and was sweet and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes," Jewel sang to herself along with the tune,

Jewel continued on, heading into the forest. She followed the path until she got to the bed that just happened to be in the middle of the forest for what looked like no reason whatsoever. There was a reason for it did belong to someone: Pitch.

'Well, I'm glad to see someone decided to recreate the bed,' she thought as she looked down the hole. She debated for a moment or two about going down there, but in the end decided against it. Pitch never really did make good company. He liked to brood when he lost a battle.

She continued on her walk until she got to a large clearing in a forest. On the ground, there was a locket. The girl picked it up and looked inside. There was a picture of a girl that looked a lot like Pitch. 'Not again,' Jewel thought sadly, 'I thought I told you to keep it safe.'

She slipped the locket into her bag. 'Why do you keep losing this, Pitch? This is the only thing that can keep you sane.' Jewel was the only guardian to keep a consistent eye on Pitch. That did not mean she was able to keep him from doing bad things; it just meant she actually cared about his welfare. She was the only one to visit him for nothing more than a small chat... or giving him back his locket.

Groaning, Jewel ran back to the bed and hopped into the hole. She landed in the cave that Pitch called home. It was as dark and creepy as ever. Prefect for the guardian of reality.

No, that name wasn't official. It was just that Jewel liked thinking at all of them were guardians of something or another. They were all created for a reason. The title is what she deemed Pitch, even though she was the only one to believe it.

"Pitch!" Jewel called out into the darkness. There was a little bit of light that radiated from the stars on her clothing.

There was no reply. So either Pitch was out and about or he was going to scare her again. Jewel put on a scowl and continued on wards into the darkness. "If you are thinking about scaring me again, Pitch, please know that I will not appreciate it and may throw one of my stars up your…"

Jewel stopped as she saw a black horse with golden eyes come charging at her. Jewel braced herself for the impact that didn't happen physically. Mentally, though, she entered into one of her most common nightmares.

_"Sandy, don't!"_

_ The blast of nothingness contacted Sandy and from the blink of an eye, the dream guardian disappeared. Not temporarily dead, but erased from existence to the point in which no human could remember his name anymore. _

"Pitch, I don't care if you don't want to talk," Jewel said, ripping herself out of the nightmare (which is something easier said than done), "At the very least, let me give you this thing you keep leaving behind."

There was still no reply. 'Seriously, Pitch is worse than a moody teenager,' Jewel thought as she moved onward.

She reached a huge cavern with many unused cages. She had heard what they were used for. Some time ago, all of Tooth's fairies, save one, were locked up in these cages. Jewel took a star from her dress and sent it up to one of the cages. It went into one of them and spun inside it.

'I wonder…' She called back the star and looked to the nearby staircase. She climbed up them to a secret room that looked like it could have been on top of a tall tower. But the windows in the room looked out to an endless night. That was because of magic; it would have been looking at dirt if the windows showed what was actually there.

Pitch wasn't there. 'Well, thank you random nightmare for reminding me of one of my worse fears.' Jewel looked around the room. There was a bed, as well as a table which sat that the center of the room. On it, was a photograph of a girl. It wasn't standing up, but rather lying down with the picture facing up.

Jewel picked it up and examined it for a moment, then smiled. 'Maybe you do remember something after all.'

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked behind her, making Jewel jump and turn around. It was Pitch, in all of his nightmarish glory.

"I had something I needed to return something to you and you weren't answering me so I was looking for you."

Pitch glared at the photograph in Jewel's hand. Jewel put the photograph back where she found it. "Not that. This." Jewel pulled out the locket. "This is the fifth time this year, and it's getting old."

"It's not mine."

"Please, I know it's yours. The photograph on your table is all the proof I need."

Pitched huffed, "But I don't remember who she is."

"Not my problem. Keep track of your things." Jewel put the locket in Pitch's hand and closed it. "If you are having memory problems, go talk to Tooth."

"Jewel, must I remind you that I am not in your position. I cannot talk to her because…"

"I know, you almost killed her and took all her fairies. Surely they must understand that people can change."

Pitch didn't look amused.

"No. Alright, let me see if I can find anything else of yours that was lost. Some paper work or another object of your life before being Pitch."

"You haven't found anything so far."

"True, but I am also looking for my uniform that I had in my life before being Jewel. I know it's out there, I just haven't found it yet."

Jewel started to leave. "Don't tell anyone about this," Pitch said in a fearful tone.

"My lips are sealed, captain."

88888

Easter was over with, but Bunny was in the warren painting eggs. These were the really special eggs that amazed children no matter what age. And they were the hardest to find as well; they would be hidden under leaves or in bushes. Only the really sharp ones would find these special gems.

The only reason Bunny was working on eggs so close after Easter was because he was in thought. Jamie wasn't a kid to just no longer believe. Something was going on, but Bunny had no idea what. His only lead was from something Jewel told him recently; that children were starting to disbelieve as too young an age.

From a different part of the warren, Bunny could hear something break. He stood up quickly. He was the only one there. Unless there was an uninvited guest. 'Probably Frost again,' Bunny thought annoyed as he headed to where he heard the sound. On the ground was a vase that had some tulips that were given to Bunny a few days ago from Tooth. Bunny picked up the flowers and put them on the table they were on. Next, he picked up the pieces of the broken vase and placed them on the table as well.

Whoever had done this, it was done deliberately. The vase was placed in the middle of the table, not at the side. Besides, with the way the pieces of vase were scattered, the person in question had smashed the vase instead of pushed it.

There was a slow clapping sound that came behind Bunny. He turned around sharply, taking out a boomerang. There was nothing there, just the empty air. But there was a sharp chill on the back of Bunny's neck that made him wary.

"Who's there?" he asked.

There was no response, which didn't comfort Bunny at all. Pitch had played similar mind games, but his deal was doing it in the darkness of night, not in the middle of the day.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Bunny shouted out.

"Afraid, are we?" a malicious voice said.

Bunny froze. He had heard that voice once before. No, it wasn't Pitch. It was someone much more frightening. "I thought..."

"What, that I was dead? That Pitch took my place? Think again."

The voice made Bunny's fur crawl. Trying to scrap up whatever courage was left in him, Bunny growled, "Why don't you show your face?" Not that Bunny wanted to see this figure's face. It always changed, though there was always one constant: hollow, glowing, orange eyes that seemed to pierce into a person's soul.

"Oh, did you miss me?" the voice had a bit of an English accent, then proceeded to laugh.

"No," Bunny growled.

"I thought so."

"Wha...what are you doing here?" Bunny said, trying to keep his shaking in check.

One of the eggs Bunny had been working on appeared right in front of him, floating in midair. "Why do you think?" A gloved hand became visible and crushed the egg without mercy. "You know how much I want to take over your miserable little world. I have succeeded in taking the world of star warriors, so I will try to take over this world again. And this time, I won't fail."

The egg fragments fell to the ground and the hand disappeared. Bunny didn't say a word. After some time, his fear subsided and he knew he was alone again.

Ammit, a being of fear... no, more than that: pure terror. It had many names depending on what world it was on or what time. Current days... it didn't have a name, not exactly. The closest anyone could get was...

"Bunny? Where are you?" a voice called out in the warren. Bunny perked his ears and ran outside.

Jewel walked in, looking very pale. "Did something happen? I came to see if you could spare an egg, but..."

"Let me guess, they were all cracked."

"What happened?"

"Ammit."

Jewel blinked. "What?"

"Ammit is back. They apparently have been in your world."

Jewel shook her head. "My world is here now. It has been for a long time."

Bunny went looking for a plain egg for Jewel. "What's the egg for?"

"A boy who hasn't had any luck with egg finding. I decided to give him a gift."

"Let me guess, cancer kid?"

"What gave it away?"

"You like giving them eggs."

"What can I say? They are hope."

Bunny picked out an egg and sat down, thinking about what to paint for it. "What's the little bugger into?"

"He likes stargazing. There were several times I had to help him find his family because he'd just get so caught up with the night sky."

Bunny nodded and started painting. "So, how'd you find this lost soul?" he asked, trying to take his mind off the fact that Ammit had returned. There was nothing any of the guardians could really do with Ammit.

"How else? He was stargazing once and he doesn't have a good sense of direction. So, I helped him home. He really liked my outfit."

Bunny smiled a bit. "Not surprised."

"I know you don't go into the field a lot, but isn't there anyone who has stuck out in your mind?"

"One... recently. Small girl... she's grown a bit though. Every Easter, she stays up so that she can see me putting out the eggs. The little ankle-biter gets me every time."

"What, is she better at hiding than you?"

Bunny didn't answer that. He held the finished egg up. "What do you think?" The egg was navy blue, with stars all around. One of them was a bigger star than the rest, an eight pointed star.

Jewel smiled. "Perfect." Bunny handed over the egg.

"Take good care of it now, alright?"

"Who do you make me out to be? I make sure all my deliveries are kept in good care in my hands."

"I'm just reminding you."

Jewel rolled her eyes and took off. Bunny took a moment before calling up a rabbit hole and headed towards North's workshop. Even if they had no idea what Ammit was planning, at the very least they could keep a look out for anything suspicious.

* * *

**Please comment, it helps with my writing.**

**I've just been extremely lucky to be able to post on a weekly basis this past month. I don't know when I'll be able to post again for this. Hopefully sooner rather than later. **


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